the previous debt ceiling standoff, one of the issues was when would the next debt ceiling be reached, annoy, remember the republicans -- and even harry reid suggested that they do this every six months, get a temporary extension and come back in six months. at one point the republicans were proposing three extensions, three votes before the next election. and the president, meeting with his own aides about this said that's it. i'm done. i'm not doing this. this is not how the constitution was meant -- was designed. our founding fathers did not envision a day when members of congress could hold the president hostage by not paying the bills they themselves had racked up. and as often happens in these situations, the cooler heads on his staff said, well, mr. president, we understand how you feel, but we may have to cut the -- no, i'm not going to do it. he was very firm because he believed it was not just affecting him but about preserving the status of the presidency for future presidents. and in the end one of the things he was most proud of in that deal was not giving in to that. but